Lac La Biche County Council has appointed Mr. Ken Van Buul as the municipality’s Interim Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). The Interim CAO is a term position for six months, with the option to extend it if Council wishes.

The appointment follows a thorough and competitive hiring process that Council began in November 2019, after former CAO Shadia Amblie’s departure.

“Council and I are eager to take our next steps with Mr. Van Buul,” said Mayor Omer Moghrabi. “He brings a wealth of municipal experience and fresh perspective that will help our County rise to the challenges that we’re facing. I’d also like to express my appreciation to Mr. Dan Small, who served as the Acting Interim CAO as we conducted our search. He provided great leadership during an especially difficult time for our community.”

Mr. Van Buul was raised in Slave Lake, Alberta, and worked in the area for 10 years before moving to bigger urban centres. He has spent over 30 years in municipal government overseeing departments as diverse as parks and recreation (which his original education and experience are in), fire services, enforcement services, legal services and human resources. Mr. Van Buul is coming to Lac La Biche County from Parkland County, where his most recent position was directing a variety of major construction projects as the General Manager of Strategic Initiatives.

“I’m a small-town guy—that’s where I was raised and cut my teeth,” said Mr. Van Buul. “I’m excited to return to my roots and live in a rural community again, and I’m looking forward to working with Lac La Biche County’s Council and Administration to provide excellent service to residents.”

Mr. Van Buul begins his new position on Monday, March 30, 2020.